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Q&A: Slamming the Door on Twitter Spam

By J.d. Biersdorfer August 17, 2011 5:47 amAugust 17, 2011 5:47 am

Q.

Every once in a while on Twitter, someone will reply to me with a link that goes to an advertising site. How can I stop this?

A.

As with just about every other form of online communication, Twitter is also subject to abuse from spammers and people sending around links to malicious sites and software. As with e-mail and Facebook posts, it’s a good idea to never click on a link from someone you don’t personally know — and maintain suspicion about clicking on such a link if your friend hasn’t made any comment or reference to what the link is about.

Twitter has its own guide to dealing with spam in your feed, but when you do get a random link from an unknown person on your Twitter page that looks dodgy, the company suggests visiting the sender’s account page. On that account’s profile page, click the user drop-down menu (it has an small icon of a human head) and choose the option to report the account for spam. The menu also offers the option to block that account from sending you replies, messages or putting your Twitter account on a list.

If you would prefer to keep your Twitter posts shielded from public view and only visible to people you approve as followers, adjust your account’s privacy settings. Log into your Twitter page on the Web, click your user name in the upper right corner and select Settings. On the Account tab, scroll down and put a check in the box next to “Protect my tweets.” Click the Save button to make the change.

If you use a third-party or standalone Twitter program, check its menus for commands to block or report users who may be spamming or harassing you over the service. If you don’t see any options, log into your account at Twitter.com to take care of matters.

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